Well, I gotta admit, I'm still in a bit of shock. Not only did I believe the Patriots would win, but I expected them to clobber the Giants. And I believe in 99 of 100 alternate realities, the Patriots did win. Why this particular scenario, a highly improbable 17-14 Giants win, had to occur in
this reality is a question for the existentialists. But with 3 Super Bowl trophies and 2 World Series trophies, and the longest undefeated season in NFL history, I find it hard to feel too badly about last night's Super Aberration. And let's face it, 18-1 isn't too shabby. As always, be sure to read
Bill Simmons for the gist of how I feel. For help getting through the 5-steps, check out
this funny article on ESPN.
Now, let's get to the Official Review. I don't believe the refs
cost the Patriots the game -- Eli had that one insanely lucky pass, and obviously the Giants D-line manhandling of the Patriots O-line was the real problem -- but in a tight game, non-turnovers and penalties that affect field position might account for the 3 point deficit.
A reporter wrote in his blog for the
SportingNews:
The NFL put together a supposedly all-star officiating team for the Super Bowl, but the officials already have blown three calls by my count. And it's not even halftime. On New York's first possession of the second quarter, Eli Manning threw a pass that appeared to be in Plaxico Burress' possession before cornerback Ellis Hobbs III knocked the ball away. The Patriots scooped it up, but the refs whistled the play dead, ruling an incomplete pass.
On the very next play, Manning hurled a deep ball to Amani Toomer, who clearly jabbed his left hand into Hobbs' facemask to push him away before the receiver made a diving, 38-yard catch falling out of bounds at the Patriots 19.
(In a bit of karma, Hobbs picked off a deflected pass on third down to end the drive, preserving New England's 7-3 lead.)
Then, on New York's next possession, Ahmad Bradshaw botched a handoff from Manning and New England linebacker Pierre Woods fell on the ball. Patriots ball, right? Wrong. Bradshaw managed to sneak in, roll Woods over and steal away the ball. Inexplicably, the officials let New York keep it.
Come on, guys, this is the Super Bowl.
Let's tighten things up.
Blown calls go both ways, of course, and I did see one go for the Patriots. Very early on, Kevin Faulk was knocked down and more-or-less
bounced past the 1st down marker. The refs gave a far-too-generous spot to Faulk -- they should have marked the ball at his impact site, not where he ended up -- and didn't even bring out the chains before awarding 1st and 10.
But the non-call on the offensive pass interference was egregious. And the non-fumble, when #58 (Woods, whoever he is, never seen him before) fell on and had the ball for like, what, 5 minutes or something ridiculous, and then "lost" the ball when he rolled over? That was simply outrageous. That's a change of possession, and at mid-field no less!
The other play that gives me pause is the Adalius Thomas stripping of Eli Manning. They called a penalty on the Giants for batting the ball forward, costing them 10 yards but keeping possession. I'd like to see this one replayed and explained to me.
Then there's Ben Watson's holding on the last drive of the half, wiping out a 15-yard run by
Kevin Faulk. USA Today's Jarret Bell said:
"It was hardly a blatant hold and appeared it could have been a non-call."I've also heard people complain about a non-call of a roughing-the-passer on Brady, where somebody hit him in the head, but I didn't see it or simply don't recall the play.
Crew chief
Mike Carey got high marks
from some, and it was better officiated than many of the playoff games, but that's not saying much. Maybe Coach B, who brilliantly challenged that 12th man on the punt play, should've challenged a few more calls.
Meanwhile, in my blog (Feb 4, 2008), I wrote:
